Coin controlled switch



Feb. 14, 1933. F. HOKE COIN CONTROLLED SWITCH Filed March 31, 1928 amen vim Fran/n Hale e,

Wowaq 5 Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK HOKE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HOLOOMB & HOKE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA COIN CONTROLLED SWITCH Application filed March 81, 1928.

My invention relates to improvements in circuit controllers and is particularly designed for a circuit controller of the motor of a phonograph or like instruments operated by coin mechanism.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a switch which may be moved from initial non-circuit closing position to initial position and thence through a series of steps throughout the range of which the circuit is maintained closed and adapted to be moved in a reverse direction toward noncircuit closing position until it has been moved an equivalent number of steps, after which the circuit through the motor to be controlled will be opened.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the circuit controlling switch, the front plate being removed, and the coin operating switch therefor;

Fig. 2 is a similar view, parts of the same being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the motor control switch;

Figs. '1 and 5 are detail views of the coin accommodated switch in different positions, and

F ig. 6 is an end elevation of the coin accommodating switch.

In the embodiment of the invention I provide a suitable enclosing casing 1 within which is mounted an insulating support or base 2, this base being secured to suitable lugs are ears 3 formed in the corners of the case. The baseis provided with a central opening and supported within this opening and on either side of the base is a pair of contact rings 4 and 5. At one point in their periphery the rings are provided with a dead space filled with insulating material as at 6. These rings are secured to the insulating base by means of bolts passing through ears 7 Serial No. 266,208.

and while the rings are provided with dead spaces it will be understood that they form continuous conductors due to the bridge sections 8. The two rings are insulated from one another and the outer ring is provided with a binding post 9 to which a lead-in conductor extending to one terminal of the motor is connected. The ring 5 is provided with a binding post 10 to which the opposite lead-in terminal of the motor connection is connected. This post is surrounded by suitable insulating material as at 11 to insulate the same from the bridge portion 8 of the ring l.

A ratchet wheel 12 is mounted on a suitable pivot 12 extending inwardly from the back of the casing and this ratchet wheel has mounted thereon and movable therewith a pair of contact brushes 13 and 14 adapted to contact respectively with the rings 4 and 5. These brushes are electrically connected together and in the structure illustrated the brushes are merely the bifurcated ends of a conductor plate 15 which is supported upon an insulating block 16 secured on the face of and rotatable with the wheel 1:2.

On the back of the casing there is provided an ear or lug 17 which is adapted to engage, when the wheel reaches the limit of its movement in either direction, with a limit stop 18 projecting from the rear face of the wheel 12.

The wheel is moved in its respective directions by means of suitable solenoids 19 and 20, the solenoid 19 being adapted tomove the wheel toward circuit closing position and the solenoid 20 being adapted to move the wheel toward open circuit position. The cores 21 and 2:2 of the respective solenoids 19 and 20 are respectively provided with operating dogs 23 and 2e pivotally connected thereto and adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel as they are moved forwardly when the respective solenoids are energized. These dogs are biased toward their normal positions by means of coiled springs 25 and 26 7 it'm-oves through said chute.

encyto hold the dogs against theperiphery of the wheel.

1.1.18 dogs are limited in their downward movement by means of stop pins Y27 and each dog is provided with a shoulder 28 adapted as the dog is raised to engage arm 29 of a bell crank lever. The opposite arm 30 is provided with atooth 31 adapted to engage the teeth of theratchet wheel 12, the being thrown into engagement by the upward movement otthe dog and prevent-ing the wheel from over-running as it is moved. A pro ection 32 on each of the dogs the combination with a rotatably mounted is adapted to engage the arm 29 as'the dogs move downwardly to cause the tooth 31 to move to normal disengaged positionp The circuit through the solenoid 19 is controlled by a coin operated switch. This switch comprises a coin operated switch arm pivoted as at 33 and having an arm 34: carrying a contact 35 and a second arm 36 extending in the opposite direction and beneath a coin chute 3? and into the'pa-th ofa coin as A second lever 38 pivoted as at 39 is provided with a cont-act 40 adapted to be engaged by the contact 35 to close the circuit through the solenoid 19. The circuit through the opposite solenoid 20 is momentarily closed by any suitable switching mechanism adapted to be operated-when the device is used in connection with a musical playing apparatus, the completion or the record,ii it be a phonograph, or music roll it it be a mechanical piano.

In operation when a coin is dropped into the chute 37 as it passes out of this chute it comes in contact with the arm momentarily raising the arm 34 and causing the con tact 35 to engage contact 40 with a wiping movement; Due to the fact that the two con tacts travel for a part of the distance together, the circuit is maintained through the solenoid suiiiciently long to energize the same. As soon as the coin rolls off the arm 36 theweightoi the arm 34 will cause the parts to drop back into normal or open position.

The energization of the the dog 23 causing the same to move ratchet wheel 12 one step in a clockwise direction, which moves brushes 13 and 14; off the dead'contact 6 and onto the contact rings at and '5 thereby closing the circuit through the electric motor. If another coin is dropped through the chute the process is repeated,-moving the brushes a second step on the rings 4: and 5. t will be noted, however, that after the initial step-the further movement of the brushes step by stepv will not at foot the circuit connections of the motor. After the motor has run for a predetermined solenoid l9 raises "Hie period, as in the'case of a phonograph after If the wheelhas been moved anumber of steps the circuit relation of the motor will not be disturbed until the wheel has been moved counterclockwise a number ofsteps equal to the number of steps it has been moved in a clock-wise direction.

' I claim as my invention: p 7

1. In a device'of the character described,

ratchet wheel, means for rotating said wheel step by step in one direction, means for r0- tating said wheel step by step in the opposite direction, a pair of circular contacts insulated from'one another surrounding 'sald wheel and a brush comprising a bifurcated plate having its base secured to but insulated from said wheel and having its furcations bearing on said respective contacts, one of said contacts having a dead spot.

2.111 a device of the character described, the combination with a casing, of an insulating panel mounted within said casing and having a central opening, a pair of circular contacts mounted on; opposite sides ofsaid panel within said opening, one of said contacts having a dead spot, a ratchet wheel rotatably'supported on one wall of said casing and having its axis coinciding with the axis of said circular'opening, a contact brush carried by said ratchet wheel and comprising a bifurcated plate having its base attached to but insulated from said wheel and havingits furcations disposed to engage said circular contacts, a dog arranged to engage said wheel and move the same step by step in one direction, a second dog arranged to engage said wheel and move the same stepby step in the opposite direction, and a pair of solenoids carried by said casing for operating said dogs.

3. Circuit-controlling mechanism comprising a pair of contact members insulated from each other, a brush adapted to bridge said contact members, and mechanism for moving said brush comprising a spur wheel operatively connected to said brush, a pair of ratchet dogs associated with said wheel, means for selectively operating said dogs to move said wheel, and two independent latches respectively associated with said dogs, each of said latches being independently movable, by wheel-actuating movement of its dog, to engage said wheel to prevent overrun thereof.

4. Circuit-controlling mechanism comprising 'apair of contact members insulated from each other, a brush adapted to bridge said contact members, and mechanism for moving said brush comprising a spur wheel operatively connected to said brush, a dog reciprocably mounted adjacent said wheel, means for moving said dog in one direction to efl'ect movement of said wheel, a latch positively actuated by such movement of said dog to engage said wheel, and means cooperative with said dog to move and hold said dog out of cooperative relation with said wheel at each extremity of the stroke of said dog.

5. Circuit-controlling mechanism com rising a pair of contact members insulated om each other, a brush adapted to bridge said contact members, and mechanism for moving said brush comprising a spur wheel 0peratively connected to said brush, a dog reciprocably mounted adjacent said wheel, means for moving said dog in one direction to effect movement of said wheel, means for moving said dog in the opposite direction, and a latch associated with said wheel and dog and movable into engagement with said wheel by movement of said dog under the influence of said first-mentioned means, said latch being movable out of engagement with said wheel by movement of said dog under the influence of said second mentioned means.

6. The combination with a spur wheel of means for imparting step-by-step movement to said wheel, said means comprising a solenoid, a reciprocable core therefor, a ratchet dog operatively associated with said wheel and pivotally carried by said core, means biasing said dog toward cooperative engagement with said wheel, means cooperative with said dog at each extremity of its stroke to hold said dog out of cooperative engagement with said wheel, and means operable positively by wheel-moving movement of said dog to engage said wheel to hold the same against rotation.

'7. The combination with a spur wheel, of means for imparting a step-by-step rotation thereto, comprising a dog operatively associated with said wheel, a latch pivoted adjacent said wheel and having a portion disposed in the path of movement of said dog, means for reciprocating said dog whereby,

, upon wheel-rotating movement of said dog,

said dog engages said latch to force said latch into locking engagement with said wheel, and cam means for forcing said dog out of cooperative engagement with said gheel at each extremity of the stroke of said 8. The combination with a spur wheel, of means for imparting a step-by-step rotation thereto, comprising a dog operatively associated with said wheel, means for reciprocating said dog whereby movement of said dog in one direction causes rotation of said wheel while movement of said dog in a return di- 

